To Hunger is to be Demon
by AhumbleHalofan
Summary: All things must feed to survive. Plants drink the sun, animals eat the plants, and predators must feast upon their prey. Demons must devour man. Where does Yusuke Urameshis, the spirit detective turned demon, fit into this circle of life? Rating will change in the future: For the naughty kind of reasons.
1. Chapter 1: Hunger

**I of course hold no rights to the universe of Yu Yu Hakusho. What I do have is an imagination and I have decided to use. **

**This story was a labor of love between I and my betareader, 8D SerenityCrystal Tear 83. They were a lot of help shaping up this fic to something resembling good. I hope you all enjoy it!  
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><p>A dry wind blew across a small city in the heart of Japan. The city was quiet with only the sounds of the early risers to break the silence. The sun had only just begun to rise, and a few kilometers outside of the city, a group of friends and fighters alike had gathered at the entrance to a cave. In the very center of the congregated men and women, a lone girl stood a little to the side on her own. With short dark brown hair billowing in the wind, dressed in a simple combination of jeans and a faded red sweater, she paced back and forth with her hands tightly folded against her body.<p>

Keiko Yukimura was frightened - but frightened didn't begin to cover the emotional roller-coaster that was her mind. She felt worried, confused, nervous, powerless, resentful, and anguish. It was an agony that cut so deeply she felt like her guts might spill at the slightest hint of provocation.

At the moment, she along with Botan, Genkai, Shizuru Kuwabara, Asato Kido, Yu Kaito, Mitsunari, and Kiyoshi Mitarai all gathered around the entrance to a cave that could, at any moment, belch forth the forces of Demon World or Spirit World. In the case of Genkai, the ever practical martial arts teacher was at the very lip of the cave, no doubt prepared to release her remaining strength on anyone that wasn't the group of brave friends they had all grown to know so well.

Looking up from her continual pacing, Keiko could only marvel in silence at the iron stance Genkai still held. Dressed in her usual master clothes of a red pull over and brilliantly white under clothes, the white haired old woman kept her face pointed directly at the lip of the cave. The others, such as Yu and Asato, had both stood with the wrinkled woman, but had grown tired of the lack of movement. Already Yu's usually immaculate purple clothes were dotted with sweat stains and his black hair a mess. Blonde and watery eyed Kiyoshi, like Keiko, stood off to the side from the rest of the group with his own arms crossed and head bowed. Amongst all of them was an air of doubt that almost seemed to poison the very air.

The current situation could be laid at the feet of the former, now insane, spirit detective Shinobu Sensui. The madman had, in his deranged mind, come to the conclusion that all of humanity was beyond saving. According to everyone Keiko had spoken to, he wanted to unleash a horde of demons to ravage the earth.

As they all waited, Keiko's stomach churned at the news that had only just arrived from the boy Kiyoshi - or Seaman, as he liked to be called. Why the boy liked being called by the name of some fictional American _comic_ _book_ character was a little beyond her, but really, she just didn't care. All she cared about at the moment was the incredible revelation that her childhood friend had become a demon - but not just any demon apparently: a Mazoku.

That thought alone made her insides stir. What had happened to the boy she had known for so long? Would he even still remember her? _Could_ he? His becoming a spirit detective was one thing; but now this? The news had come barely an hour after she learned her Yusuke had died fighting Shinobu. Her eyes still felt red and puffy from all the crying.

All the worry and hysterical joy at Yusuke's apparent return made her unable to keep herself still; now she found herself pacing back and forth across hard dirt, waiting for any sign of Yusuke and his allies to return.

"You know, Keiko," said Botan, with a frown, as her ocean blue hair twirled in the wind. "Trying to set the ground on fire with your feet isn't going to help. Not to mention, I don't think that's possible."

"I know," Keiko muttered. It was true that her continuous pacing was probably making everyone else even more nervous than she was, but it was the only way she could cope right then. "I just can't help it, Botan. I've got to do something or else I'll just scream."

"You and me both," said Shizuru as she pulled a long draft from a lit cigarette.

Keiko had been keeping count of the number of cigarettes the normally sour women had smoked, and in the hour they had been there, Shizuru had easily gone through two packs. Most of the little white death sticks were, however, twisted and broken at Shizuru's feet. Most of her cigarettes had been ignited for only a few minutes before they had been thrown down in disgust.

"Do those help Shizuru," asked a hesitant Keiko.

"What do you mean," probed the light brunette.

"Does smoking help you with everything that's going on?"

Shizuru had the oddest look on her face as she stared directly into younger woman's own worried eyes. Then, with a resigned outrush of air, she walked over to where Keiko stood and, with an extended arm, offered Keiko one.

"You're a little young, but I think if the world is close to ending, then it's better late than never," Shizuru said. "Too bad about the other stuff you'll miss out on."

Taking the proffered cigarette, she couldn't help looking at Shizuru in confusion; all her worry over Yusuke forgotten for that brief moment.

"What do you mean, Shizuru?"

"Do I really need to spell it out, Keiko?" said an obviously bemused Shizuru.

"I don't…" It suddenly clicked to Keiko what that utterly perverted women meant. A heated blush bloomed in her cheeks and she could only splutter in indignation at insinuation. It was true she hadn't ever _done anything_; but that wasn't the point. Clinching her hands in anger, Keiko completely forgot about the white death stick she had clutched in her hand and crushed it.

A small smirk was all that the older woman let show on her face. Keiko hated that she had reacted to such a brazen comment in such a stupid manner. Looking down at her hand, she let out a huff of annoyance. She had wasted a perfectly good cigarette that she actually wanted to try. It was unlikely now that Shizuru would let her have another.

Before she could even ask Shizuru if she would give her another one, the ever loud voice of Botan pulled her attention.

"Yeah!" shouted the cat-like woman, victory certain in her voice. "They're still alive!"

Instantly, Keiko looked to the entrance of the cave and saw exactly what she had been both hopping and dreading. Flanked on either side by demons, Kurama and Hiei, his school rival, Kuwabara, and the former baby Koenma; Yusuke Urameshi walked. Behind all of them was the now massive blue feathered form of Pū; the dark hair that framed his beaked mouth perfectly framed the eyes that were so much like Yusuke's.

Keiko knew that the person between Kurama and Hiei was her Yusuke. Even with the utter destruction of his shirt, showing off harden muscle she could see it was him. Across his chest was a large black triangle that seemed to be a part of his very skin. His jeans that had once been pristine were now ripped and shredded showing legs flexing with muscle. The most jarring difference was the hair. It was no longer short with the slight hint of curving around his face. Now it was so long it draped down his back like some ancient battle cloak.

Even with all those changes, the moment she saw those eyes and that unconscious cocky grin, she knew - even with all the changes, that he was alive. Her entire idea of picking up smoking forgotten, Keiko rushed straight at her greatest source of irritation and friendship.

"Yusuke! Yusuke! Yusuke!" she screamed as her feet beat against the hard earth in a rush.

Before she knew it, she had collided with her dearest friend and embraced him with all the strength she had. For several moments she stood there unable to even think of words as she simply marveled that Yusuke was still alive and standing right in front of her.

"You look good," she mumbled, still lost in the sensation. His smell was of the earth, sweat, and strength. A good smell, if ever there was one.

Without a word, she felt Yusuke bury his face into the side of her neck and heard him draw in one of the longest breaths she had ever heard. To her growing confusion, she felt him begin to subtly shake as he let out a long low growl.

"You smell wonderful, Keiko."

Then things became a blur of pain and motion.

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><p>Yusuke Urameshi still felt agitated. He knew leaving the demon world was the only right decision to make, but it didn't mean he had to like it. Right then, all he wanted to do was smash something to pieces; preferably large and heavy. The fact his sort of old-man interrupted his fight between him and Shinobu left a sour taste in his mouth.<p>

As soon as he, Kurama, Hiei, Kuwabara, and Koenma exited the pseudo space between worlds, and into the cave that housed the imposing portal to Demon World, the boy scouts from the SDF began to seal it all up in earnest. Much to Yusuke's pride, none of them made eye contact with him. The mightiest warriors Spirit World had to offer did their collective best not to draw attention to themselves.

The walk out of the cave was very uneventful and none of the ragged fighters felt much need to talk. Yusuke couldn't blame them. Even he didn't feel like starting some friendly smack talk with Kuwabara. Their collective experience of their short stay in Demon World was probably a lot for them to process. Even Yusuke felt a little overwhelmed, but then again, all of his thoughts tended to drift back to that bastard of a grandfather that had taken it upon himself to interfere in his fight.

The questions constantly churned in his skull. Why had that bastard seen fit to interfere with his fight? He had that smug-ass Shinobu nearly on the ropes; just a few more minutes and he would have beaten some sense into his stubborn skull! Now Shinobu was dead, and he hadn't been the one to do it. The fact that he had been only an observer as someone else pulled the strings of his own body left him feeling disquieted. Could that rotten old man do what he did at any time? Was he, himself, a danger to everyone around him?

After reaching the very end of the cave and taking his very first step into natural daylight since his demonic resurrection, Yusuke felt himself hesitate. Maybe it wasn't too late to go back and hop through the portal… Before he could really take the idea and _run_ with it, a hearty back slap from his red haired rival sent him into the light.

The sight before him felt both familiar and new all at once. In front of him stood the collective worried faces of some of his closest friends and some of his loss punch-worthy foes. Everyone had looks of worry and concern, but there was one person who put it into the simplest words.

"Yeah," Botan, his blue haired and often cat-like friend, screamed in joy. "They're still alive!"

It was nice to see some things, like Botan's penchant for stating the obvious, remained the same after you died…again. Before he could raise his own arm in greeting, a dark blur sped directly at him and collided with enough force to make him grunt. Warm familiar arms snaked themselves around his neck and a childhood voice spoke.

"You look good," came the quiet whisper of Keiko.

An odd feeling of peace settled over Yusuke's frazzled mind. His worry over his ancestor taking control of body again faded to the background. The frustration at seeing himself kill - and yet, have nothing to do it - melted at the warm embrace of Keiko. With her hugging his neck, there was peace, and any kind of peace was good.

Suddenly, a smell struck Yusuke's nose and left his mind fuzzy - only focused on the scent. It flooded his nostrils with the kind of power that came with the thick scent of bacon cooking in its own fat. The idea of seeing thick strips of red meat cooking on an open stove made his mouth water. The smell left him gasping for breath, his nostrils flaring with beauty of the heavenly aroma.

Images of stacks of raw meat came to mind as he basked in the glory of the odor. It coiled about his mind and stuffed it with thick cotton. All that mattered was the smell. Its lovely aroma of roast beef dipped in gravy made his belly quiver in need.

His belly rumbled and his entire body mimicked its demand. Slowly, he nestled his powerful nose into the source of that wonderful scent and spoke lovingly to it.

"You smell wonderful, Keiko."

The smell was Keiko; beautiful, loving, smart, eternal, Keiko. Now she smelt mouth wateringly delicious. Such a lovely creature that smelt of ripe food ready for the taking was beyond his ability to control. The need to bite, rip, and tear chunks of hot steaming meat dripping with untouched blood held power. To not taste such crimson beauty was beyond crushing - it left him on the verge of pain.

Breathing deeply of the heavenly scent, he opened his jaws and gently grazed the slender white neck of his beautiful meal. Fangs that had not been there before, now barely pierced the pearly white skin before blood welled up like a fountain. His tongue lapped at the blood, and the sweetness of such a taste was beyond his comprehension. It was of sweet candies dipped in chocolate, with the slightest hint of a fruity divine aftertaste. The taste of the slender creature foolishly grasping his neck sent his mind into overdrive.

Quickly, he drew back his head, opening his mouth and exposing his salivating jaws to the open air. Prepared to strike and tear his first true chunk of red meat from his prey, he was stopped. Thick green vines covered in thin stabbing thorns grasped him around his waist then threw him to the side. As he smashed into the side of thick stone, another unseen force quickly grabbed him about the neck with the strength of solid steel.

The thick, thorny vines snaked their way down his body and wrapped around him. Their cuts into his skin were only a minor inconvenience to his predatory mind; the arm of steel gripping his neck was another annoyance altogether; it squeezed his neck so hard, that it was a challenge to breathe.

Voices screamed and yelled, but they were insignificant insects to the powerful demand that was his desire to feed - but first, he had to break free of the two annoyances that had stopped him from enjoying his meal.

"Yusuke!" screamed the wonderful creature. It was odd that his quarry would know him by name.

There was a painful screech from some other creature with feathers, but its scent held no appeal to Yusuke now.

"What the hell is the matter with you two," Kuwabara yelled, his voice on the verge of panic.

"A fool like you, Kuwabara, wouldn't understand," came the gruff voice of the three-eyed fire demon, Hiei. "Just take the girl away and tell the rest to run. Kurama and I will hold him down; you need to get everyone away from here as quickly as possible!"

Already the scent of his prey was becoming fainter by the second and Yusuke screamed out his rage, thrashing about wildly to try to dislodge the powerful hold the annoyance had about his neck. The very air crackled with bright red lightening as his power ran amuck, only controlled by his overwhelming desire to feed.

"I am not sure we can hold him for long, Hiei," said the strained voice of the former demon thief. "He's too powerful, and the others might not be far enough away before he breaks free."

"I have half a mind to let this fool free and watch him feast on those pitiful humans," grunted Hiei, strain clear in voice. The arm around Yusuke's neck tightened noticeably.

Again he tried to throw the irritation from his back, but it continued to cling no matter how hard he scratched and rolled. Already his vision of the green trees had begun to fade. Inky blackness crawled into the corners of his eyes as he struggled against his bonds. The sound of some green vines snapping could be heard, but as one broke, two more came to take its place.

Ever so slowly, even as he thrashed about and snapped his teeth in anger, his vision grew darker and his limbs heavier, till at last he could no longer lift his arms and he slumped to the ground and knew no more.

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><p><strong>If you love andor enjoyed the story, leave a review. You will be surprised how much it can affect my update time. I might even post another chapter before this Octobers end. **


	2. Chapter 2: Fallout

**Once again I have no influence or ownership of Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did the story would have been significantly different.**

**All editing for the chapter belongs to my wonderful beta reader, 8D SerenityCrystal Tear 83. I hope you all enjoy our combined work enough to leave a review! It really raises our spirits.**

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><p>Yusuke Urameshi's head hurt like he had just dove into his mother's private liquor supply the night before. It throbbed with a stomach churning strength that made his muscles feel like jelly. Slowly, he scrapped his hands across rough wooden flooring and wondered where he was. His limbs felt unnaturally stiff as if they had experienced an intense workout and he hadn't been around to enjoy it.<p>

Opening his eyes, all he could see was darkness. Across from where he lied, a small window was opened showing a beautifully black sky pinpricked by the light of distant stars. How long had he been unconscious?

As his temples throbbed, memories began to resurface, and soon he recalled his battle with Sensui in the depths of Demon World. He easily remembered how in the heat of his fight, an unknown and incredibly powerful voice spoke, wrenching control of his very own body away from him. Instantly, his fingers sunk into rotten wood as a hot boiling rage screamed impotently in the back of his mind.

"It's about time you woke up," said an unknown, yet oddly familiar voice in the dark. Accompanying the voice was a sound of metal scrapping across stone.

Instantly, Yusuke scrambled to his feet with his fists raised.

"It's good to see you're ready for a fight, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline for the moment," the voice said, its tone unchanged. "I'm busy with something vastly more important." Again, there were more scrapping sounds.

"Who are you?" Yusuke demanded, feeling pretty put off by the voice's lack of fear.

"Did your intelligence take a dive when you became one of us?" drawled the voice, the scrapping sound stopped as it spoke. "Who the hell do you think I am, moron?"

Suddenly, the voice and its surly sounding owner clicked. "Hiei," exclaimed Yusuke. He was genuinely happy to hear the short grouch. "Where are you, Hiei? I can't see you."

"You've become a demon and yet you still rely on your pitiful human eyes," intoned the bored voice. Yusuke could already picture, the constant look of smug arrogance, which always decorated the fire demon's face. "Turn around idiot; I'm behind you."

Pivoting on the balls of his feet, Yusuke was greeted by a kneeling black-robbed figure with black spiky hair, a ball of flame in one hand.

"What the hell, Hiei!" Yusuke barked. He didn't like being left in the dark. "What the hell are we doing here, and why isn't Kurama, Kuwabara or even Koenma here?"

Quickly, the ball of flame in Hiei's hand went out, and again, Yusuke, to his displeasure, was plunged back into darkness.

"First," Hiei started. "You are going to learn how to use those damn eyes you were given."

"What?" Yusuke spluttered, anger making his fists clinch. "Put the light back on, so I can actually see you. That way I'll know which part of your face I'm hitting."

"No, you are going to sit down and listen. Now sit. You're no good if you can't see."

"I can still sense your short ass."

"Can you, Urameshi? I wouldn't be alive today if I wasn't able to repress my energy, but be my guest, try."

Narrowing his eyes in the dark, Yusuke centered himself and extended his senses outward. As he did, he felt all that was around him; the leaky roof above his head…the insects festering beneath the floorboards… Extending his projected spiritual senses further to where he had last seen Hiei, he sensed a veritable cornucopia of nothing.

With a huff of heated air, he plopped himself down and grumbled, "Fine."

"Now that you've stopped being a fool, pay attention; I rarely bother teaching anything to anyone, so consider this a privilege."

Yusuke couldn't help muttering darkly under his breath where Hiei could take his privilege and shove it.

"If you're done mumbling like some spoiled child, then listen. I want you to close your eyes and focus on your sight."

Doing as he was told, Yusuke shut his eye lids and did his best to focus on the darkness.

"Now keep them closed and picture a flame in your mind, a bottomless flame that illuminates everything."

"Yeah, yeah I get it."

"Then shut up and do it," snapped Yusuke's reluctant three-eyed teacher. Yusuke couldn't help smirking; hearing the little runt lose some of his arrogant composer was always pleasing. "Now, do you have the flame clearly pictured?"

_I've got your flame right here,_ thought Yusuke, as he pointed his middle finger in Hiei's general direction.

"Stop being childish, fool and picture the flame," Hiei said, voice dripping with arrogance. "Now, if you've done as I've instructed, then you can open your eyes."

When he did, Yusuke sucked in a startled breath. With the mental image of fire came an astonishing image of a lit room up as if a noonday sun peaked through the window instead of starlight. Across from where Yusuke sat was the cross-legged form of Hiei. The artificially three-eyed demon was still as battered as Yusuke remembered him looking the moment he came to finish his fight with Sensui. Directly in front of Hiei was a thick stone block and clutched in one hand was a short sword that seemed to glitter ominously in the new found light.

Finally able to see the room in its entirety for the first time, Yusuke was confused by the shabbiness of it. The ceiling looked like it had seen much better days. It was cracked and peeling, with stains that could not be anything else but thick yellow mold; it covered even parts of the walls. The room itself was bare of any furnishings or even a single chair. Looking down, Yusuke saw that the floor looked as rotten as it felt.

"Seriously, Hiei, what are we doing in this shithole?" Yusuke muttered.

"Yes," grumbled an obviously irritated Hiei, his eyes narrowing below the cloth that was wrapped around his head. "No need to thank me for teaching you how to see in the dark. It was a pleasure to waste the time."

"Quit being a prick, Hiei. I'm not ungrateful," said Yusuke. "Now, answer the damn question already!"

"I should warn you that if you don't keep that flame perfectly pictured, everything will go back to being pitch black."

"What do you -" Yusuke was cut off as his vision suddenly went back to the endless dark. "Dammit, Hiei! Why didn't you say that before?"

"I'm telling you now. Be grateful I even bothered."

Muttering irritably under his breath at the half-pint, Yusuke closed his eyes and again repeated the steps he had so recently learned.

"I should also mention that your irritable bird creature is outside. Your tiny pet seems to have finally grown into something admirable; you should be proud."

Opening his eyes into the newly discovered light once more, Yusuke felt pleased at hearing this. With Pu still around, that meant nothing too bad could have happened.

"Good to hear," Yusuke mumbled, still distracted by the oddity of his newly learned vision. "Can you tell me now why we're in this house instead of still surrounded by hordes of pissed off demons?"

"If you really want to know that badly," Hiei grumbled, grasping his sword by both its blade and hilt then rubbing it delicately across the stone block. "Then tell me how much do you remember after your battle with Sensui? I don't imagine you've forgotten completely. No demon really forgets their first real smell of Human World."

Lowering his head and furrowing his own brows in concentration, Yusuke realized he couldn't remember anything. After his fight with Sensui, he perfectly recalled making the decision to leave Demon World – even if he really didn't want to. The thought of leaving all his loved ones behind still made his heart tremble in guilt that he had even considered it. Memories after that were blurry. He could recall a feeling of power and hunger, but he wasn't sure why.

"I remember leaving Demon World and those boy scouts from Spirit World giving us a wide berth," Yusuke said. "After that, I can kinda remember seeing everyone else for a split second, but then everything just gets hazy after. I still remember this feeling of being hungry; like if I didn't eat soon -"

"Your entire body would collapse in on itself," the black haired demon interrupted, never stopping his constant scrapping of metal on solid rock. "That you hadn't experienced a meal in years? As if you were starving to the point any piece of rotten flesh would do? I know that exact feeling, Urameshi. I can assure you, every demon that smells a human for the first time will feel the exact same way."

The scrapping of carefully crafted steel across a whetstone was the only noise in the room as Yusuke sat, stunned. What Hiei was saying didn't make sense. How could a normal demon's reaction apply to him? Suddenly, it dawned on him exactly what Hiei had meant. His stomach quivered at the thought.

"I don't understand," he said through lips gone numb, hoping beyond all hope that his own suspicions were completely wrong.

"Do you take me for a fool, Urameshi?" Hiei barked, his eyes seeming to burn a hole into Yusuke's skull. "I made it perfectly clear what I meant. But if you are so moronic that you need your hand held, I'll explain so that even that loathsome Kuwabara could understand."

The speed of Hiei's scrapping's increased to the point Yusuke numbly noted that he could see small sparks fly, as Hiei roughly moved his sword. "You smelt your first real human today as a demon: that girl, Keiko. You tried to eat the girl; Kurama and I managed to subdue you before you could do any real damage."

Suddenly, with an incredibly loud snap, Hiei's sword shattered in two and his frantic motions ceased.

"Dammit," muttered the bearer of horrendous news. To Yusuke's disoriented mind, Hiei's voice almost sounded apologetic. "Now see what you've made me do."

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><p>The world spun in vibrant unnatural colors. Greens, yellows, and different hues of blue merged and separated with a kind of wildness in the eyes of Keiko. The light that struck her eyes was bright and irritating, but she could not blink, as was her urge. It was not only her eyelids that could not move, but her entire body. She was only a passenger now, in the unmanned vehicle that was her body.<p>

Her entire body, which was covered in the lightest layer of windblown dust, could still feel, and the feeling was unpleasant. The once immaculate faded red sweater was now missing a right sleeve, and across her now visible arm were long red lines of scratches. To the uninformed observer, it would almost seem as if an animal had latched onto her arm with a hunter's intent.

Currently, Keiko lied lifelessly on a small comforter, rolled out specifically for her, so that she could lounge semi-comfortably on a hard wooden floor. At that moment, she was back in the apartment of Yusuke; a place that used to smell so wonderfully of home, now seemed to deny her presence.

At the thought of her childhood friend, her neck and spine tingled. The feel of a rough tongue and piercing teeth still made her body flush with heat. It frightened her. Recalling it, the hot, moist feel of Yusuke's tongue caressing her neck made her feel ... odd, and the memory of the piercing fangs made her inhale sharply through her nostrils.

Absently, she rubbed at a thick cotton bandage taped to the side of her neck. It was an unconscious move that, frustratingly, could not be repeated. All she could do was lie there passively; see and listen. For all around her were voices that would speak in low murmuring breaths and then shout aloud in adamant disagreement.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this!" shouted the deep voice of Kuwabara. "I don't believe you for a second, Kurama! That isn't what was going to happen; Yusuke would never do that to Keiko."

"Be silent, you inconsiderate jackass, and let him finish speaking," came the aggravated growl of Genkai, Yusuke's first true teacher.

Keiko was happy to hear the often rude woman talk. If there was ever a voice of reason, it would come from that woman. When Keiko last saw Genkai, she had just plopped herself onto Yusuke's single couch.

"You're going to listen and be damn grateful for it," the frequent smoker continued.

"As I was saying," the often airy voice of Kurama began. With his brilliantly red shade of hair, he was an easily identifiable figure in the fairly small room. "Hiei and I prevented Yusuke from indulging in what all demons crave: human flesh."

Again there was an outcry from Kuwabara, but it was swiftly silenced with a look from the hard eyed Genkai. From her place on the hard wood floor, Keiko watched Kuwabara's orange-top head spin about, looking for support.

"Botan!" Kuwabara latched onto the blue-haired soul reaper. "You don't believe him, do you? Yusuke just wanted to kiss her; I'm sure of it! We all know how soft he is when it comes to her."

Botan, for her part, was standing much like Kuwabara, but was also leaning heavily on the couch Genkai occupied.

"Kuwabara…" Her voice took on a tone one would use to talk to a child. "I was there. We were all there. We all saw what happened. You saw how his hair changed from black to white."

Keiko saw the usually joyful woman shudder lightly, as if a chilly wind had just kissed her skin.

"Couldn't you feel it, Kuwabara? The air got so cold, I felt like my nose was going to fall off."

Keiko felt her heart drop; even Botan thought Yusuke would hurt her?

"Even you, Botan!?" screeched Kuwabara. "What about you, Koenma? You can't think that Yusuke would ever really hurt Keiko?"

"I don't think he would hurt Keiko," Koenma replied after several moments of him making frantic sucking noises with his depleted pacifier. From his place on the couch, the Spirit World bureaucrat was barely visible to the open eyes of Keiko.

"See!" pronounced an excited Kuwabara, his sloppy grin renewed. "I'm not the only who thinks Yusuke wouldn't do it; the toddler agrees with me!"

"But," came a hollow sounding boy administrator. "I'm certain he would never do it consciously. The way he transformed back at the cave correlated with his fight with Sensui. Toward the end of their fight, the way Yusuke just pounded that man into submission was indescribably brutal - I would even say it was almost like a feral animal; and if what he said at the end was true about some other voice taking control of his body, then we should be doubly worried. We don't know how far this voice's reach really is. It could even control him in the human world."

As Keiko lied on her impromptu bed of sheets, she couldn't help feeling her heart sink even lower. Even one of the very first people to see something great in Yusuke thought him capable of actually killing her. Wasn't it possible that Yusuke had upgraded from his usual perverted pat downs to something with a light pinch? That was exactly how the bite had felt; a small pinch, almost like getting a flu shot.

"I just…How is…How can you…" Kuwabara sputtered, sounding as if he were chewing his words as he muttered.

"Maybe, little brother," Shizuru began, a cigarette precariously perched in the corner of her mouth, "if you stopped interrupting the _actual _demon trying to explain everything, maybe some understanding would sink into your thick skull, and if it doesn't, I'll make it!" Those that surrounded the small chair occupied by the light brunette flinched back from the venom coursing through her voice.

From her place on the throne of woven fibers, Keiko could see Kuwabara scrunch up his face as if he was preparing for an incoming blow. When none seemed to be forth coming, he bowed his head and sunk to the floor, apparently content, for the moment, to listen to a lecture.

Even Keiko had to admit she wanted to hear what the fox demon had to say. Next to Koenma and Botan, the red head was the most bountiful source for information of all things demon related.

"Thank you, Shizuru. As I was saying. Hiei and I prevented Yusuke from doing what almost all demons feel a compulsion to do: Eat human flesh."

Suddenly, a hand was raised from the unexpected source of Yu Kaito. His hair was no longer plastered to his face by sweat, but his purple clothes were still heavily stained. He sat directly next to Koenma on the couch.

"Pardon me, Shuiichi, but what do you mean 'all demons'? Does this include yourself and that short guy with the temper?"

There was a palpable pause from the red haired Kurama, or Shuiichi, as Kaito insisted on calling him, as his eyes focused on the bespectacled gaze.

"Yes, Kaito, every demon that smells a human will feel an instinct to feed," said an unflappable Kurama. "Hiei and I have both felt this need. I cannot speak for Hiei, but after my merge into this body, I no longer feel such a desire. However, when I transformed into Yoko Kurama during the Dark Tournament, and in our battle with Sensui, I felt the urge once more, but it was heavily subdued and I felt no real yearning to see it fulfilled. Again, I cannot speak for Hiei and his urges, but I do know he has never eaten humans before." A light chuckle escaped Kurama's lips as he paused. "According to him, when I broached the subject, he considered the idea repulsive. To quote him, I believe he said something along the lines of, 'why would I lower myself to eating garbage? I would rather starve.' "

Keiko couldn't believe her ears. Every single demon she had encountered during the Dark Tournament had wanted to eat her. If Kurama was right, did that also include the innocent looking Yukina? How had she and Shizuru survived to even see the end of the Tournament?

As if sensing her line of thought, Kuwabara instantly spoke up. "Hold on a sec, Kurama. Do you mean to tell me that even my darling Yukina wanted to _eat_ me?"

A sad kind of half smile crept up onto Kurama's lips as he looked directly at the orange haired, self-proclaimed punk. "Kuwabara, to most demons, humans with _any_ sort of spiritual awareness smell as appealing as a meal of rotten meat. You don't exactly smell terrible, but most demons would rather leave you to rot than eat your body."

"Well," Kuwabara mumbled, his cheeks becoming slightly red. "I don't know if I should be relieved or insulted."

"I think you'll manage to be both, little brother," said the lazy voice of Kuwabara's domineering sister. Slowly, a smoke ring billowed forth from her open mouth. "Well, go on Kurama. Before my brother opened his mouth, what were you saying?"

"Ah, yes." Kurama's voice sounded renewed. "As I was about to say, before Yu's polite question and Kuwabara's not-so-polite inquiry, I am not sure why Yusuke acted as he did. I only recognized what he was going to do right before he was going to seriously injure Keiko. Hiei and I were barely able to subdue Yusuke before he broke free. If he had remained conscious for a few more minutes, I am certain he would have broken free and given chase after you all. What would have happened then is best left to the imagination."

At those words, there was a collective shudder, as each person squirmed uncomfortably in their sitting places. For Keiko, she lied numbly on her pile of comforters and starred, unblinking, at the group of what she had thought were Yusuke's closest friends. Yusuke had only just become a demon. He had to be special - there was no way such horrible demon instincts could have been a part of Yusuke's transformation; she refused to believe it.

In the quiet of the room, there came a single voice. "Why," questioned Genkai, her voice unusually soft in the silence. "I have fought demons and fool spirits throughout much of my early adult life and I have never understood this. Now explain boy, why do you demons eat humans? What's the gain?"

There was a dry chuckle from Kurama as he fixed Genkai with a soft eyed stare. "You know, Genkai, I do not think I qualify as a 'boy'. I believe I am several centuries your senior."

The white haired old woman let out a sharp snort at the comment. "I don't care if you're a millennia older than me; you look just as old as most of the brats in this room, so I'll call you 'boy' as much as I want. Now explain, _boy_**.**"

Quickly, Kurama took in an audible breath, preparing to continue his improvised lecture. "To put it simply, I do not know. No one in demon world understands this need to feed. However, there are only certain kinds of demons that must eat human flesh to gain nutrition from its consumption. Those are exclusively demons in the same kind of power range as Yusuke, S-Class. I do not know for certain if Yusuke's ancestor hails from such power, or if it is because of his own phenomenal strength that Yusuke has so much energy; either way his need to consume is a part of his nature; whether he truly needs it is beside the point."

The crowded living room was deathly quiet as its occupant's stared at everything around them except each other. Keiko couldn't believe what she was hearing. She refused to believe the former supernatural thief turned-human about demons; she refused to believe that all of Yusuke's friends would be even capable of believing such trash.

With a sudden, almost believably happy voice, Kurama burst out. "I can, however, assure you, Koenma, that the ability to control Yusuke in Demon World was a singular occurrence. It was only possible for a brief time after his initial transformation. Whoever his ancestor is will not be able to do so again." He continued his voice seeming to try and inject a false cheeriness. "So…there's some good news, at least."

Keiko could see Koenma's eyes darken at the news.

"So you're saying," prodded the flat toned toddler in disguise, "that what happened at the cave can be laid solely at the feet of Yusuke and nobody else?"

"Yes," Kurama murmured, his voice sounding as if he wanted it to disappear.

"Then you already know what I'm going to say next?"

"Yes."

"Good." Koenma's voice carried a note of finality; like a judge delivering the death sentence. "We, as a group, need to decide what we are going to do. With the possibility of my father's and the extension of the entirety of Spirit World's wrath undoubtedly coming down on us, we need to have a plan. How are we going to hide Yusuke while he learns to control his desires?"

"You're forgetting another possibility, Koenma," spoke the iron voice of Genkai. Even to Keiko, the old woman's voice sounded unusually hard.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Genkai." Koenma's face hardened into an unreadable mask. Keiko could see the muscles of his neck throb with tension; she could almost hear the sound of his teeth grinding.

"Don't give me that crap. Do you really expect me and the rest of these kids to believe you hadn't considered an alternative?"

"Genkai," Koenma choked out. "Don't."

"'Don't' what, boy?" barked Genkai. "'_Don't'_ was exactly what you've already thought? I'll damn well say it because they have a right to hear before they come up with it on their own. If Yusuke proves unable to control his hunger, then we'll have to kill him..."

The room went unnaturally silent. There wasn't a single rustle from cramped legs, the wind passing behind the closed curtains made no noise, and even the independent breathing of the room's occupants seemed to have stopped.

For Keiko, her very heart became immobile at those deadly words. Feeling seemed to return to her once numb limbs instantly; quickly, she shot to her feet, fury painting its ugly self across her normally sweet face.

"I can't believe you!" she screeched, her voice cracking from the lack of use. "How can you say such a thing? How can _any _of you think Yusuke would hurt me?! How can any of you claim to be his friend, when you all seem prepared to believe the worst in him?"

"Keiko," Botan started, taking several steps toward the weary Keiko. "Please, just sit down and listen."

"Keiko," demanded Genkai. "Sit back down and listen to what your elders have to say."

"No!" screamed Keiko, feeling a lump of hysteria building in the back of her throat. "I won't sit here and listen to anything you have to say! You have nothing I want to hear!"

Without a second look back, Keiko dashed toward the only door out of the apartment. Grabbing ahold of the doorknob, she twisted it violently, jerking the door open and letting in the sounds of roaring vehicles and the squawks of birds. Only for a moment did she hesitate, and in that single instance, a soft hand grasped her about the wrist.

Spinning about on the soles of her feet, she barely saw a flash of bright red hair before, with a brutality born from _her_ Yusuke's incessant peeping, slapped her attacker with all the power she could muster. The grip on her hand loosened and, like a dog let off the leash, she dashed off into the bright sunlight without looking back.

* * *

><p><strong>And an end to another chapter. Please let me know what you think! Am I going too slow? Not enough detail or too much? Character's not acting right? My writing style not to your liking...well there's nothing I can do about that.<strong>


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